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Portion of Metro budget to address food insecurity across Davidson County

More than a million people across Tennessee live in food insecurity and may not know where their next meal will come from.
Food Assistance Budget Boost
Posted

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than a million people across Tennessee live in food insecurity and may not know where their next meal will come from.

NewsChannel 5's Carrie Sharp stopped by Metro Social Services today. They are on the front lines of getting food to people in crisis.

It is one of only a few agencies that got additional funding in this year's Metro Budget: $175,000 to be exact.

She asked Executive Director Renee Pratt where your tax dollars are going.

"The money is going right on the street. There are no admin costs. We can administer the program directly to them. This money is going to help the elderly, families that are experiencing the crisis of losing their snap benefits. It's also going to address the issue of food pantries that have closed."

The additional funding will pay for two specific programs: expanding food giveaway pop-ups into the food deserts around Metro and a new program called Dine-In Delivery.

This is for people going hungry with no way to get to the food pop-ups around town.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email us at newsroom@newschannel5.com.

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Students help relaunch donation drive for Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

Young or old, we all love to play board and card games! Those games become even more important when you are indoors and don't have the ability to get outside, like patients in a hospital. Austin Pollack shares the story of students in a Nashville family who have helped re-launch the Red Wagon project to collect games for patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

- Lelan Statom